"A KNIGHT'S WAR" (2025) Is Brutally Epic Dark Fantasy Done Right (REVIEW)
You know what we don’t get a lot of these days, Dark Fantasy movies. You know the kind, where a reluctant hero is tasked with taking down malevolent creatures to save a person and/or a place from darkness. It’s a genre that was huge in the 80s with films like “Conan The Barbarian,”, “The Sword and the Sorcerer,” and “Conquest” to name a few. These films traffick in visually arresting landscapes that are rife with all kinds of blood-curdling demons, witches, and devils while also being more violent and graphic than your traditional fantasy film. It’s a world that Warhammer fans know all too well, and it has been woefully absent from the screen for what feels like decades. It looks like the folks over at DREAD Presents have felt the same as they bring Writer/Director Matthew Ninaber’s “A Knight’s War” to theaters on February 7, 2025, and then VOD on February 11, 2025. Is this a war worth waging, or best to sit out?
WHAT’S IT ABOUT?
A fearless knight braves a deadly realm to save the Chosen One’s soul. Facing witches, demons, and brutal foes, he discovers her return could ignite chaos and doom humanity.
HOW IS IT?
We are just going to come right out and say it, “A Knight’s War” fucking rocks! Horror and fantasy have such a fascinating Venn diagram of overlap that we have been perplexed as to why more filmmakers haven’t approached this genre sooner for revival. Thankfully, Matt Ninaber and the team have identified this gaping hole in modern genre film and have filled it with something focused, fun, and fascinating. The setting and world-building are a lot to take in and without a lot of context setting, but it’s irrelevant to one’s enjoyment of the creative creature designs and bone-crunching action that exceeds our wildest expectations for what independent genre film is capable of.
The story in “A Knight’s War” is pretty straightforward as Bhodie (Jeremy Ninaber) is tasked with fulfilling a prophecy involving Avalon (Kristen Kaster) and a series of trials to save her from permanent death in a hellish underworld. Bhodie’s journey finds him taking on blind witches, skull-faced dungeon masters, and trickster demons all to get Avalon out of hell and back to his people so she can defend them against the coming darkness. Sure, it sounds like a lot of dark fantasy stories, but what sets “A Knight’s War” apart is how immersive the world created here is. Despite being an independent production there is no shortage of epicness on display from the backgrounds to the sets themselves, which were built in the Director’s backyard (watch our interview here). Everything in “A Knight’s War” feels lived in and real, which helps to bring the viewer closer to the intimacy of the story itself as Bhodie looks to earn Avalon’s trust and they both realize their reliance on each other to survive the underworld’s challenges. The performances from the two leads are pitch-perfect as Bhodie’s strong, but silent type clashes with Avalon’s more jaded and cunning view, but their arcs have a satisfying conclusion that doesn’t force a romance down our throats and opts for a far better foe-to-friend dynamic. Considering so much of the screen time involves both characters, their chemistry essentially can make or break the film, and here it is firmly the former not the latter.
No Dark Fantasy film would be complete without some truly menacing and medieval production design and costume work, and “A Knight’s War” knows this. Blending practical effects with CG-rendered backgrounds and stunning makeup work culminates in a symphony of wondrously dark imagery and character designs which make the case that big budgets aren’t necessarily a prerequisite to showcasing otherworldly ideas. It’s admirable that Ninaber’s vision is both grand and achieved in this production, as it feels like little was compromised to bring this vision to the screen. At a brisk 96 minutes, “A Knight’s War” wastes no time bringing the viewer into this world and getting the action going while keeping things lively throughout to not drag the pacing down. The only thing that may jar some viewers is the lack of context around the world-building, but not in the sense that anything is missing so much as we were left wanting to understand more of the history and backgrounds of some of the side characters. It’s a good sign when a movie leaves you wanting more without feeling like you’ve missed out, and “A Knight’s War” does this in spades. Frankly, we hope that this film gets a sequel and possibly some additional funding so that Ninaber and company can go all-in on some more grandiose ideas and battles.
LAST RITES
“A Knight’s War” isn’t just the best Dark Fantasy movie of the last 20 years, it’s one of the best ones ever! With creative designs, epic scale, and breakneck pacing this is easily one of the most exciting releases in genre film of 2025!
THE GORY DETAILS
Directed By
Written By
Starring
Where can you watch it?
“A Knight’s War”will have a limited theatrical run beginning today, February 7, and on February 11 the film will be available to rent or purchase on video-on-demand (VOD).
Stay up to date with “The Dark Side Of Pop Culture” by following Macabre Daily on Instagram, Facebook, and BlueSky!
